Jim Donaldson: Now they really have their work cut out

You can watch a lot of football and never see another game like Sunday nightís youíve-gotta-be-kidding-me, no-way-that-could happen, show of shows that tiptoed along the border line of unbelievable.

You can watch a lot of football and never see another game like Sunday nightís youíve-gotta-be-kidding-me, no-way-that-could happen, show of shows that tiptoed along the border line of unbelievable.

And may even have crossed over.

Certainly, it had to be seen to be believed.

Because, if somebody told you the Patriots would fall behind, 31-3, five minutes into the second quarter, come back to tie the score at 31-31 in the fourth quarter, then give up a 62-yard kickoff return, followed immediately by a 38-yard touchdown pass, you wouldnít have thought that could happen, would you?

Honestly, would you?

It was a game that, after 25 minutes, it seemed the Patriots had no chance to win.

Then, after what ranked as a Comeback for the Ages, it seemed as if there was no way they would lose.

The Niners, it appeared, were rattled. They were on the ropes.

Who blows a 28-point lead in the second half and hangs on to win?

As it turned, San Francisco.

And because, in the end, the Niners did pull out as wild and crazy an encounter as youíll see in many season, serious questions have been raised in New England.

Questions not only about whether the Patriots can add another Lombardi Trophy to their collection at the Hall at Patriot Place, but also about whether they can even get back to the Super Bowl.

Itís looking as if New Englandís road to New Orleans will have to go through Denver (11-3, with two home games left against Cleveland the pathetic Chiefs) and Houston, which now needs to win just one of its final two games to maintain its edge of the Pats.

Beating both the Broncos and the Texans on the road would be a tough task.

But at least theyíre AFC teams.

And teams the Pats already have beaten, albeit in Foxboro.

As for the NFC, well, that conference clearly confounds the Local 11.

Itís a good thing the Patriots play in the weak AFC East, and not in the rugged NFC West.

Itís become obvious that West is Best.

At least in the NFC.

While, in the AFC, the East is least.

Although the Pats are 5-0 against the pantywaist pushovers in their division, they fell to 1-3 against teams from the other conference by losing to the Niners.

In some ways, the setback might have been easier to swallow if the comeback had never happened.

Because, for the first 35 minutes, the Patriots deserved to lose.

They turned the ball over, losing fumbles and throwing interceptions. They were fooled by a fake punt. They couldnít stop the San Francisco offense, and struggled to move the ball against the Ninersí defense.

Which was weird, because the 49ers twice have failed to beat the St. Louis Rams, playing them to a tie in San Francisco and then losing in overtime on the road.

But the Rams are the only team in the NFC West that the Patriots beat this season. And they didnít just beat them, they routed them ó 45-7 in a game played in London.

Every other team in the NFC West has caused major problems for the Pats, who are 9-1 against AFC teams, including a 42-14 rout of the purportedly powerful Texans last Monday night.

Not only did the surprising Seahawks stage a fourth quarter rally to beat the Patriots in Seattle, 24-23, but even the Cardinals, who had lost nine in a row before beating the Lions, 38-10, Sunday in Arizona, knocked off New England, 20-18, in the Patsí home opener in September.

But this was December, a month when Patriots have been dominant, winning 13 in a row. They hadnít lost a home game in December since 2002 ó a streak of 20 straight.

The 49ers put an emphatic end to that, needing just one play to score each of their second-half touchdowns.

Which also fits into the can-you-believe-it category, wouldnít you say?

The playoff picture isnít pretty now.

And, even if the Patriots do somehow get to the Super Bowl again this season, itís hard to like their chances after what happened Sunday night against the Niners.

After all, to win it, the Pats would have to beat an NFC team ó a feat which might be almost as hard to believe as what happened Sunday night in Gillette Stadium.